The memorial for Winter War has been revealed 30.11. - the day the war started in 1939 - It is a soldier forged from shiny steel. Soldier has been basically "shot" full of holes. Yet it is still standing. And it shines inner light into the winter's night through those holes.
It is called...
The Lightbringer.
Anyone for Night's Watch as The Lightbringer?
---
Lightbringer: The Story Of Finland’s New Winter War Memorial
Finland's first national Winter War memorial combines history with modern technology to remember those who died in 1939/1940 conflict with Russia.
By
News Now Staff
-
November 29, 2017
Artists impression of the new Winter War memorial in Helsinki's Kasarmitori / Credit: Pekka Kauhanen
A striking new sculpture lights up the dark skies this week, when Finland’s first ever national memorial to the Winter War of 1939 and 1940 is unveiled on Thursday.
Called ‘Valontuojia’ – or Lightbringer in English – the thoroughly modern monument will stand in Helsinki’s Kasarmitori near the Ministry of Defence.
For the people behind the project, it marks the end of a decades-long journey that not everyone would live to see come to fruition. For the artist, it’s a very personal reflection of his family’s involvement in the conflict, of the horrors of war, as well as a hope for peace.
And for the country, there’s finally a national symbol of the struggle and sacrifice that Finland went through in the face of Russian aggression.
Building The Whitelighter
At Pekka Kauhanen‘s studio in Espoo, sculptures and paintings cover the tabletops, walls and floor space.
Known for his work in metal, Kauhanen’s public statues include the other-worldly three-handed policeman directing traffic on a Tapiola roundabout; and a twisting tribute to former President Kekkonen in a Kajaani park.
But it’s the 1:10 scale model of Lightbringer that pulls the focus to one end of his workshop.
Lightbringer is not a shy sculpture. Standing more than ten metres tall, it’s Pekka Kauhanen’s largest piece of work to date, and it has something important to say.
Artist Pekka Kauhanen in his Espoo studio, in the foreground an earlier bronze version of Lightbringer sculpture / Credit: News Now Finland
The sculpture is made from polished stainless steel. The base is a shiny illuminated sphere with viewing holes so visitors can see 105 archive photographs inside – one picture for every day of the Winter War’s duration. A QR code lets smartphone users learn more about the history behind the photos.
Perched on top, a larger-than-life representation of a Finnish soldier, with holes cut into the steel, where light will shine like a torch.
“I tried to imagine the feelings of the soldiers in the cold and the dark and winter is quite rough. And that winter was particularly rough, like -40°C. So they really suffered because of the cold. But also the feelings of people here on the home front. It was quite a collective feeling” explains Pekka Kauhanen.
“My father was too young to go to the war, but I heard the stories of my uncles who fought there” he says.
The sculpture was first made in styrofoam and plaster; then a two metre version was produced; before being cast at a foundry and assembled in parts like a ship.
And it’s already received a warm reception from some of the people whose opinion Kauhanen values most highly: Finnish war veterans.
“When I won this competition, they took the model for several veterans to see, and I went to see this very famous veteran Hannes Hynönen in Mikkeli, he was 102 years old. He was a very funny guy and he liked very much about it [the sculpture]. All the response was very positive” says Kauhanen.
Delayed Memorial
The Winter War plays such a prominent role in the history of Finland’s first 100 years, that it’s somewhat surprising there has been no movement to build a national monument until now.
The main reason is simple: nobody wanted to upset the Russians.
“While the Soviet Union existed, it would not have been prudent to have such a monument. The Winter war was a great disappointment for the Red Army, and also a great shame” says Christian Keil, from the Winter War Association, and one of the driving forces behind the new memorial.
The short but intense conflict saw Finnish forces vastly outnumbered by Russians, yet inflict far higher casualties on the invading military from the east in what is widely regarded as a humiliating defeat for the Russians.
Finland is not short of war memorials – they can be found in every town in the country, in the form of graveyards. Unlike other countries, Finland transported as many war dead as possible back to their home cities, towns and villages, and buried them in church yards.
There are also regional monuments on both sides of the border, and in many Finnish towns there are markers where troops assembled to leave for battle.
But until now, there was no collective memorial.
“Time has elapsed and we thought the time had come for a national monument” says Keil.
“We had really thought of 75 years after the Winter War in 2015 but there were all kinds of delays and in the end it turned out quite handsomely with Finland 100 years” adds Keil, who explained that one of his friends at the Winter War Association who instigated the project, passed away before he could see his ideas realised.
Cooperation
The Winter War Association came up with a long wish-list of all the criteria a national memorial should include.
But in 2013, they decided to open up the design competition, in association with the Ministry of Education and Culture; the Ministry of Defence; Prime Minister’s Office; City of Helsinki, Finnish Defence Forces and war veterans, who were included on the judging panel.
“The jury received 258 anonymous submissions from which six where chosen to the second phase of the competition” explains Päivi Salonen, from the Ministry of Education and Culture, who are paying part of the €1.35m costs of erecting the memorial sculpture.
Pekka Kauhanen was the oldest artist to submit a design, and when the Winter War Association applied a litmus test of their ‘wish list criteria’ to the top six designs, Kauhanen’s was the only one which matched all 20 points.
Thursday’s Unveiling
The Finnish public will get their first glimpse of Lightbringer on Thursday, when an evening ceremony shows the work at its illuminated best.
“It doesn’t have to be explained, because it’s a powerful visual element. You can feel it” says Kauhanen.
The artist says he didn’t feel any pressure when faced with the challenge of designing a memorial that represented the whole country, and which would be standing for a very long time indeed.
“I gave them a playful guarantee it will last at least 500 years” he says.
“And after that, they can come and ask for more”.
http://newsnowfinland.fi/arts-culture/lightbringer-the-story-of-finlands-new-winter-war-memorial
___

OK. I did miss that. So happy it wasn't bad writing.
However Seasons 5 and 6 have had many badly written plots that it has become a first reaction to every detail that it is just bad writing.
Before you paid attention to spot clues and intrigue. You were spell bound and there was a total suspenson of disbelief.
Now it is just disbelief first: bad writing.
That is what you get by dumbing down the story.

Dany is a solid Fuerer-type villain with all the seemingly softening and charming characteristics that make people actually fall for the idea that supporting her is a good thing. Her story can only end well if she is destroyed. Her only possible positive contribution is that she interrupts and destroys old stagnating power structures. But her in power is a disaster.

Now we have seen the scenes where Bran is guided by The Three Eyed Raven played quite well by Max von Sydow. He is a very charismatic man and nearly perfect for the role.
Well cast, but... I can't help wishing he would've been played by real life "Three Eyed Raven", the near telepathic messenger for the Children of the Forest on this Blue Planet or Frozen Planet...
Ser David Attenborough.
Three Eyed Raven should've been played by Ser David Attenborough.
Imagine Bran going in that cave and: It's Attenborough in the root system! Imagine Bran doing these trips to see the past. And it's Attenborough there narrating the wildlife!
http://i.imgur.com/IZwtsXF.gif
Can't get rid of that image now.
Ruined it for you too.

But that is not how the story would circulate. The story would be "Ned Stark beat Sword of The Morning in a dual at Tower of Joy". Messy "unclean" stuff is bound to be edited from the version that would circulate and establish Ned Stark as a near mystical swordsman. Something Jaime would despise as he would know it is a lie. How bad a lie? He wouldn't know. Propably it would bother him enough to seek a duel to prove Ned's reputation fraudulent.
Besides Ned executed Dayne to take him out of misery of dying slowly. It was a mercy kill and honourable. But who would explain that?

Good that people here paid attention. Some were distracted too much by the ambidexterious Dayne.
1. Ser Arthur Dayne does wield his family's famous sword, Dawn.
Watch carefully...Dayne shows his sword before fight. There is a sign of a rising sun in the hilt of that sword. That sword is Dawn.
It's not as impressive as imagination and legends let people to expect it to be. It's not a "light saber" (sigh, realism, this is ASOIAF). The steel however is almost white. Perhaps the real Dawn isn't shining it's own light, but maybe the steel would stand out.Therefore there is Dawn in GOT TV show.
2. And Ned did take Dawn. So there might be a trip to Starfall ahead although I doubt it will be relevant in the GOT TV plotline.
3. Ned executes Arthur Dayne with his own sword. What goes around, comes around. Puts Ned's execution with Ice in perspective.
4. Underlining the fact that Dayne is best ever swordsman is the fact that he is ambidexterious. So far the best swordsman we have been introduced to is Jaime. He very clearly is no good with his left hand. Dayne is far better than Jaime too. Well established.
5. Also Ned Stark did not beat Dayne. He lost. And Dayne was killed by back stabbing sidekick. Now remember what Jaime did when his side kick "helped" him in a duel with Ned Stark. H e was furious by someone stealing him his victory. And he didn't go on to execute Ned then and there . Tywin asked why is Ned stil alive. "It wouldn't have been clean." So, Jaime would've kicked Howland Reed in the ass for interfering. Also Jaime would not have executed Dayne. But Ned did.
5. Jaime and Ned both have refused to try to correct false accounts of their actions. Jaime has declined to give any honourable reasons for kingslaying to defend his honour. Also the account of what hapened at Tower of Joy is false, but Ned has not corrected stories of his fighting and skill with sword, beating Sword of the Morning. Greates knight ever. Now, Jaime if anyone knew how good Dayne was. He must have suspected that story of Ned beating Dayne was a lie. Thus Ned was receiving and accepting an honour that he did not deserve. This would make him despise Ned even more. "The Honourable" Ned Stark as Jaime put it.